1) Toxic positivity: When people default to bypassing difficult emotions in the service of forced positivity (fake positivity) is when 'toxic positivity' takes root.
2) Just like we can get stuck in difficult emotions, we can also get stuck in the idea of 'positive only' and this is fundamentally an avoidant coping strategy (a form of gaslighting oneself - or others.)
3) When we default to 'Just Be Positive' we close ourself off from learning from difficult emotions, understanding what values emotions are signposting, and to developing skills in dealing with these difficult emotions.
4) The beauty and fragility of life are interwoven. This reality demands that individually - but also at a societal level - we let go of these narratives of toxic positivity and become better at navigating the full range of what makes us human. Otherwise we are in denial.
5) It is here - in integration - that wisdom, resilience and true change are borne. It is only when we are fully able to see ourselves - including our difficult emotions - that are are truly able to see others too.
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